


Matters of the Heart

by mochacherie



Series: Head Over Heels (Remus Lupin/OC series) [13]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Book 7: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Dorks in Love, Drama, Drama & Romance, F/M, Fluff, Love, Love/Hate, Malfoy Manor, Post-Battle of Hogwarts, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:48:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,139
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26406010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochacherie/pseuds/mochacherie
Summary: Remus had to sit there and listen to Hogwarts' once-notorious heartbreaker, Sirius Black, explain to him why he had been an idiot once again in matters of the heart; A hopelessly lovestruck idiot at that.Continuation of my Head Over Heels (Remus/OC one-shot series).
Relationships: Remus Lupin/Original Character(s), Remus Lupin/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Head Over Heels (Remus Lupin/OC series) [13]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1781635
Comments: 1
Kudos: 13





	Matters of the Heart

**Author's Note:**

> Votes, Reviews/Comments appreciated!

_She was in a forest and somewhere in the distance, she could hear voices._ _She walked towards the source and saw two familiar people in the middle of a heated discussion._

 _Wait a minute. She knew this. She had already been here._ _Shivers ran down her spine at the nightmare before her._

_"As long as you're with me you can never have that. You would be marked by this. Marked by the stigma of being with someone like me. I could never give you what you truly want," his voice echoed. The man turned and walked away when in reality it had been the opposite. Scared, she saw the woman reach out him._

" _Remus- no!" But the man jilted her and faded away. She turned to face Emma with tears pouring down her cheeks. "He'll never accept us."_

 _Emma wanted to walk up to her and comfort her. But she was held back by a small tug on her hand._ _She felt a small hand curl around her own and warmth flooded her. She turned to her left when..._

Emma woke up with a jolt. She could feel the beads of sweat dripping down the side of her head as she looked around frantically trying to see where she was.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she noticed that only a small ray of light came from the other end of this dark room- something that looked like stairs going up.

"You're awake." Emma backed up against the wall and saw a blonde girl kneel beside her. "It's okay. We won't hurt you." She was soft-spoken.

"We?" Emma finally rasped. She realised that she was thirsty. When was the last time she had water? She remembered feeling feverish last thing. The rest of the events gradually popped up in her memory. Where were _they_?

"Ollivander at your service milady". She saw a more familiar face as the wandmaker appeared.

"Where are we?"

"The basement of the Malfoy Manor. I'm afraid the snatchers left you here yesterday. You were burning up when they brought you," Ollivander explained. He offered her a hand with which she hoisted herself up. Smoothing down her now dirty clothes she turned to look at the strange girl.

"I'm Luna. Luna Lovegood," she said twirling a strand between her fingers. Emma nodded and introduced herself, "Emma Warrington." Luna smiled and went to sit a little further away against a pillar.

"What do they want from us? Why are we here?" she questioned. Of all the places, she couldn't fathom why she had been brought to the Malfoy manor.

"We're in the middle of a war, Miss Warrington," the old man offered a sad smile. Suddenly feeling queasy from lack of food and the horror of her current situation she leaned against the wall for support.

They heard a creak of a small gate being opened followed by footsteps.

"Supper," it was their captor's voice. As the figure became clearer, Emma saw the man she had only heard tales of from Sirius and Remus.

"Wormtail," her tone dripped venom as a mousy man made his way down the stairs. "She's up. The Marauders' whore. Tell me, you probably gave ol' Padfoot and Moony a run at you. Care to finish the lot?" he walked towards them with three plates on a tray.

She looked at Ollivander who shook his head as if to tell her to stand down. 

"Don't want to test me do you?" Wormtail had her backed against the wall. He trailed his silver hand down one side of her face; Emma felt like retching. But she couldn't tell if it was from lack of food or his body odour.

"Smart girl," Wormtail grinned as he threw the plates on the ground and left.

She was about to follow him up the stairs when Ollivander held her back with a firm grip on her wrist.

"It's not worth it." Emma relented begrudgingly and picked up a plate. She wondered if they poisoned the food. But her hunger won out if she wanted to keep her strength and wits about.

The next two weeks of April passed by too slowly. Supplied with nothing other than a thin blanket, they spent their time locked up. With no sign of sunshine or outside news other than Wormtail, they only had each other. She learned that they all had been brought in as part of the rebel armies. Luna as a punishment to Xenophilius Lovegood for his articles in The Quibbler and Ollivander because Voldemort had use of him that he refused to reveal. 

More importantly, where were Remus and Sirius? Were they safe?

She almost gave in and asked Wormtail a few times when he'd come to serve their meals. But his comment about the Marauders made her wonder if there was another reason she had was held here.

Luna kept quiet most of the time. Emma learned that she was actually close to the trio and Ginny.

Most days she felt too drained to try and incite an escape plan. Luna had said that she and Ollivander had attempted a few. But with their wands gone they couldn't do much.

Around mid-April, she finally lost patience. She would pace up and down the confined space biting her nails

Luna had many questions about the outside given that she was the most recent captive. Emma tried to go into as much detail about her efforts with Remus and Sirius while trying to stray the conversation away from her former lover when possible. It still ached her heart. Worse now that she didn't even know if he had made it.

"I'm sure they're alright. They would be here if they had been caught too," Luna tried to reassure her newly distraught friend. Emma gave her a smile in return. "At least you seem to be doing better now. Tell me and forgive me if I'm intruding but- how many months are you?"

Emma scrunched her face in confusion. Before she could respond though there was a huge crash upstairs followed by the opening of the basement lock and footsteps.

Wormtail threw two young men on the ground; one with shaggy black hair and the other who could be nothing but a Weasley.

"Harry! Ron!" Emma rushed to the boys to help them up. "Hermione! They got her upstairs!" Ron sounded desperate as he glared at Wormtail who had his wand pointed at the boys to keep them in check. Before Ron could continue he was cut off by another figure making an appearance.

"What's that smell?" a tall burly man appeared in the doorway. He looked dangerous; not quite human as if he had given up on all aspects of society for decades now. He stood at the entrance sniffing the air looking around until his eyes landed on Emma.

"You!!" he looked at her and stalked over. "You're coming with me upstairs. You shouldn't be here like this," he grasped her by the upper arm and started tugging her. Emma protested with both Harry and Ron trying to hold the man back.

"Mutt, you can't do this. Mistress will not be pleased," Wormtail also tried to stop him.

Greyback. Fenrir Greyback. Emma's blood ran cold as she realised that this was the man responsible for traumatising Remus' entire life. With more anger in her blood now, she protested vehemently and even tried to hit his arm, but his grip only tightened instead.

She felt herself being hauled out of the basement followed by the sound of Harry and Ron's protests. She looked around the room to see Hermione on the ground in pain with Bellatrix Lestrange standing over her. The three Malfoys stood to one side of the room watching. 

"What is this?" the fury was visible in Bellatrix's face. "You dare interrupt _me_?" her wand was still pointed at Hermione making Emma bring her hands to her face in horror.

"She cannot be down there," said Greyback.

"Is she your concubine? I didn't realise you lay with humans, _werewolf,_ " Bellatrix spat the last word.

"No," he gritted his teeth still holding her in his hands. "But she has the scent of another and from what I can smell she's-"

"YOU DARE QUESTiON ME?! Stick to your place-"

A soft noise crept on them from above. Everybody paused and looked up slowly to see an unknown house-elf hanging from the grand chandelier in the room. The two boys came running upstairs infuriating their four captors even more.

"You! Traitor!" Bellatrix screeched at the tiny elf.

"Master Malfoy and Mistress Lestrange hold no power over Dobby. Dobby is free."

Commotion ensued. Harry shoved the younger Malfoy snatching his wand and Bellatrix dodged Dobby's spells. Emma rushed to grab Hermione off the floor, cooing her that it was going to be okay as blood trickled down her wrist. The boys hurried over to them followed by Dobby who held on to them only to apparate them away with a _crack!_

Landing on a sandy shore, Emma finally retched her guts out. Ron rushed to Hermione's side to check her and Harry was keeling beside Dobby.

Wiping the side of her mouth, the weight of recent events fell on her and she felt herself slump against the sand.

"Remus?" She saw someone with scars on his face make his way to her as her vision became hazy. Once again she felt herself being lifted before she lost consciousness.

ϟ

"They found them Moony," Sirius announced as he finished reading the letter. Remus appeared at the kitchen door and all but snatched the piece of paper in his friend's hand. Remus' eyes scanned the contents and he sat down on a chair in relief.

"She's safe," he looked up to Sirius who smiled. "And so is my godson, not sure if you missed that part or don't care," Sirius tried to joke.

"Either way, that's about the best news we will get in the middle of this war loves. Now you can finally stop harassing my neighbours with the screaming prisoners in the basement Remus," Andromeda Tonks entered behind Remus and patted him on the shoulders.

"You think she will forgive me?" he ran his hand over his face.

"For what?" Sirius asked.

"For not finding her sooner?"

"You mean the part where you captured and questioned every known associate of Voldermort we encountered since?" Sirius gave him an appalled look. It had been two weeks of endless searches.

"Or the part where you waterboarded them into revealing details? I mean on the bright side we did find out other relevant information," he continued. All in all Remus had gone ballistic trying to locate Emma and had even resorted to muggle methods.

He got up and made to grab his coat when Andromeda stopped him, "She needs to rest. And we still have a war to fight." 

Restless he threw the coat on the chair and made his way upstairs to brood in silence.

Soon.

* * *

"Where is she?" Emma heard someone ask. Eyes still closed, she focused on the dull throbbing pain in her forehead. This sensation was familiar once again. She couldn't place where she was. It smelled like a hospital.

 _St. Mungos?_ Thinking to herself she opened her eyes to the high ceiling of the Hogwarts infirmary instead. She propped herself on her elbows and got up. Her eyes scanned the room and fell on the entrance where Madame Pomfrey stood talking to a shaggy looking man in hushed whispers.

The man looked even messier now as dirt coated his robes.

And exhausted.

The rest of the beds were occupied by other witches and wizards who had been injured more seriously in the war. She could only imagine what the Great Hall looked like with the rest tending to minor injuries. Which confused her since wondered what was wrong with her. Apart from the stitches, she felt in her head she did not appear to have any other grave injuries.

Poppy glanced over at Emma in the middle of their conversation making Remus turn and look at her as well. She seemed to be explaining something to him. Their eyes connected and she saw him grin and rush over.

"Be gentle now Remus, she's delicate." Poppy followed him to stand on the other side of her bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Emma caressing her face and placing a kiss on her forehead followed by a soft kiss on her lips. Relieved to see him uninjured, Emma kissed back eagerly. She held his hand in hers and kept it there for a few moments, hesitating to let go before shifting to accommodate him.

"Better," she said.

"Miss Warrington, I have a good mind to chide you for such reckless endangerment. You gave me a fright when I assessed your condition on the battlefield." The nurse looked angry, yet she had the firm maternal look in her eyes.

"What condition?" Emma gave them both a confused making them share a look between them.

"Oh dear," she heard Poppy mutter at this revelation.

"Perhaps you should leave Remus, it's a private matter."

"No. It's _our_ private matter," Remus told her. A look of realisation dawned on the nurse's face. She shooed Remus to get off the bed to give Emma more space instead which he did.

With a nervous sigh, she took Emma's hand in hers and broke the news, "You're with child my dear."

Emma stilled in silence trying to process the words. 

"That-that's impossible," she denied snatching her hand back. She was about to refute further when the nurse gave her a stern look indicating how sure she was about the assessment that shut her up.

"We used protection every time," she tried to reason a few moments later. She threw a glance at Remus who looked warily at her. The gears started turning in her head.

"It must have been one of the times I sneaked into your bunk in the forests," he tried to explain.

"You mean one of the many times you sneaked in to _wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am_ me?" she accused him with a glare remembering her original tiff with her lover. Her fondness dissipated into worry over the news. She hadn't the first clue about doing this.

"Language!" Madame Pomfrey scolded.

"Now dear, I'm sure you must be in shock. You're not far along only three months," she said softly as if to soothe her. It had the opposite effect. Emma's eyes practically bulged out of her sockets and panic started bubbling.

How had she spent three months without noticing this? Apart from puking the one time, she had not shown symptoms otherwise...unless you counted her sluggishness that started a month ago.

 _You were in the middle of a war_ , she thought. _You've missed it in the past from stress. Remember your NEWTS?_

"Three you say?" Remus said. His arms were folded with a small smile on his face thinking over the realness of the situation. He wanted to soothe her but he held back, currently under the impression that she was still figuring out what this meant for her.

"No. No. This isn't happening." Emma wasn't talking to them. She was talking to herself. She hastily got up from the bed and stumbled a little on shaky legs.

"I'm certain you will have this lover's quarrel sorted out in no time," the nurse tried to console the distraught woman. She tried to reach out but Emma stepped back instead with a hand on her stomach as if to shield it.

"Miss Warrington please you are disturbing the other patients."

"Emma please sit down and listen," Remus pleaded. "For the baby."

 _It's not just me anymore_ , Emma considered. She slowly nodded and sat back down.

Lost in thought, she chewed her lower lip as Madame Pomfrey explained that despite her reckless behaviour during the Battle of Hogwarts, she only came out with a minor cut on her head. She had been put in the hospital when the nurse had found out through an initial on-field diagnostic spell that she was expecting for her and the baby's safety.

 _She was going to be a mother,_ she thought.

ϟ

Remus looked at her. Love and care shone in his eyes as he watched her process everything. While he should be scared, he was the opposite. Once appalled at the thought of bringing a child with his condition into the world, he was now elated. Elated because it was with the most perfect woman.

That and Sirius had spent the three months after Emma's departure last year showing him newspaper clippings from the _Prophet_ about children born to werewolf parents.

He was brimming with nothing short of joy.

_He was going to be a father._

If only she accepted him now.

"I'm here for you. For us." Remus sat down on the bed and pulled her into a hug, one hand resting on her hips the other smoothing over her tummy. She let him hold her putting her arms around his waist. She needed to grip herself to reality to make sure she wasn't dreaming this. Having him hold her, feeling like home, still soaking in the news.

A few days ago, heck even the last 24 hours before they had been in the middle of a full-fledged battle. Scenes from the last twenty-four hours came to her in bits and pieces. She had gotten a glimpse of Remus at one point but she had to stop herself from following him to help out other Order members. The last thing she remembered was fending off some Death Eaters while Ron and Hermione made a break for the second-floor girl's bathroom.

"H-Harry?" she asked hoping everyone was fine.

"It's all over," he murmured in her ears.

Only now did tears finally pour down Emma's face as she cried softly. The war was over. Her baby was going to be born in a kinder world.

A safer world.

"Rest up dear. I'll check up with you in a few hours," she heard Madame Pomfrey say and leave shortly after. Pulling away she saw the nurse walking up to the other patients and talking to them.

"What happened?" she asked Remus whose hand was still resting on her belly lightly caressing it in awe. "Where is everyone else?"

"In the Great Hall. There have been," he paused for a bit looking unsure how to break it to her. "..a few casualties on our end. I'll fill you in when you're better rested." Emma went to protest but she shushed her instead, laying her on her back on the bed with a light shove.

"Our roles have reversed," he said with a small chuckle. "It was just yesterday that you were the one who would force me down on a couch if I tried to get up after a full moon."

"You're not angry?" she asked nervously. She didn't know what she was supposed to do.

"I'm the opposite."

"You said you never wanted _this_ ," she looked down at her belly.

"It's hard to explain. But we're here now. Together. We can have a small ceremony when you feel up for it. Be a proper family," he leaned down to nuzzle her face.

"No!" Emma remembered her dream. The one that had woken her up in the basement at the Malfoy Manor. The little hand tugging on her hand had been a child. Her child. _"_

 _He'll never accept us."_ The haunting words echoed in the back of her as she looked at Remus.

She needed him to convince her that he wasn't lying to her or hiding his dismay. Something Remus would be completely capable of doing.

"What changed?" 

"What do you mean?" He could almost sense that she was about to fight him on this too.

"A year ago.." she sat up straighter and snatched her hand away from his "..you said that you never wanted this. That we couldn't do this," she pointed between them.

 _Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned_ , he had read in muggle literature once.

"Emma I never meant it like that. You have no idea how much it killed me to not be with you."

"Not enough to-" she choked before clearing her throat to continue, "You didn't want me then. You made it clear."

"Love, no I want this. I want you," he held her face in his hands again wiping away the tears that were falling. 

"Like I said we can have a little wedding ceremony whenever you want- as soon as you feel better."

Emma scoffed. "You _want_ the baby, not me. The one you said we could never have." He tried interjecting but she continued, "You don't have to burden yourself with this. With us. You made it clear last year. It was almost to the date today wasn't it?" she laughed in disbelief at her luck.

Marrying someone out of a sense of propriety was also a very Remus thing to do.

Remus paused. He couldn't explain it. He just knew that the last year had only reminded him how much precious time he had lost out with her. Their not-so-secret secret trysts that had led them here had been filled with nothing short of his hungry gazes and her moans. He knew she loved him.

Turns out he was a selfish man who wanted everything with her. If only he could find the right words to express the same.

"I didn't...and then I did. If the last few months have taught me anything, it is that I do. With you. I was a fool to think otherwise. Please just- just marry me," he took her hand in his. She kept shaking her head.

"You have to believe me. I want to be there for this child. _Our_ child Emma," he sounded exasperated. He couldn't have them taken away from him again.

" _You really hurt her," Sirius' words came to him. It had been after she was taken by the Snatchers when Remus had been in one of his moods again. He had been busy making comments at Sirius about how if he hadn't been busy canoodling up to her, maybe Padfoot would have sniffed out the intruders._

" _She wants you back. It's obvious. But you need to give her more time. You can't expect her to jump back in. No matter how many lovebites you both leave on each other." Remus had to sit there and listen to Hogwarts' once-notorious heartbreaker explain to him why he had been an idiot once again in matters of the heart._

Emma looked at him. He sounded sincere. If there is anything she knew about him, it's that he wouldn't be half-hearted with their child. She almost wanted to accept him completely. What if they got together for the baby and it didn't work out? A child deserved to be raised in a happy home.

She knew that in her heart, she was already his..but what if he resented her one day for 'baby-trapping' him? It was all too much at once. She decided on the next best thing she could think of.

"Fine. I can accept that. Our child should have his or her father in their life," she said. With a smile, Remus went to hold her hand again but she pulled it back.

"But I'll be damned if you think I'm marrying you just because I'm pregnant," she looked at him.

"Emma," he started to say with a stern look when a small ruckus announced the arrival of a very rowdy Sirius at the entrance. Pausing their squabble, they turned to look at him. He sported a small cast on his arm yet managed to strut over as if he owned the place. Taking his time, he stopped every few beds to greet someone.

"Fine. But this conversation is far from over. You've only seen a sliver of how persuasive I can be," Remus quickly whispered in her ear, his breath sending shivers down her spine.

He would concede for now.

"Although I've heard that pregnancy can make women really hot and bothered." His fingers grazed her hips the way that drove her crazy with need. Attention back on the man in front of her, Emma leaned into him, momentarily enjoying his touch that somehow set her skin on fire.

_Damn him for being right._

Remus looked at Sirius behind her who had stopped to flirt with a witch in a stretcher, thankful for his distraction.

"You'll be begging me to make you mine forever by the time we're through, love," he nibbled her ear.

"Is that a threat?" Her voice was staggered and breathy. She tried to sound as if she was going to stand her ground but it didn't sound too convincing.

"It's a promise."


End file.
